Newspaper rack



Aug. 8, 1950 T. o. RUPPERT NEWSPAPER RACK Filed May 19, 1947 IN V EN TOR. awms 0. Wefz g 2 BY Patented Aug. 8, 1950 2,518,070 I lNEWSPAPER BACK Thomas O. Ruppert, Arlington, Va. Application May 19, 1947, Serial No. 748,893 l 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a rack for the sale of newspapers, magazines, and the like.

A more general object of the invention is the provision of a rack, a number of which are adapted to be located at bus and street-car stops and various points for the sale of newspapers or periodicals on the honor system, the rack being of a construction well adapting it to such use, in that it is collapsiblevinto minimum dimensions which greatly facilitates the transportation of a number of the racks to and from the points of sale.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a newspaper salesmans rack of the above noted character which includes means for retaining a stack of papers in proper position as well as protecting same against damage from rain, snow, wind, etc.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a newspaper rack having a coinreceiving pocket to which coins are delivered by newspaper purchasers through a slot in the rack, the coins being retained against removal from the pocket by unauthorized persons.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a newspaper rack of the above noted character which is capable of being secured to a post or pole to avoid removal of the rack by unauthorized persons.`

With these and other object-s in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacriiicing any of the advantages of the inven tion.

In the drawings:

v Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the improved rack in its operative position with the combined paper weight and cover resting upon a stack of newspapers.

Figure 2 is a right-hand elevation of the rack as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a rear elevational View of the rack with a portion thereof broken away for clarity of disclosure. y

Figure 4 is an edge View of the rack in collapsed transporting position. i

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view substantially in the plane of line 55, Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a sectional view in the plane of line 6 6, Figure 5. o o

Figure 7 is a plan view depicting a modifie construction.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, 'the improved rack comprises a back member I0 which is provided with supporting legs I I at its opposite sides.

For reasons later to appear, it is necessary that the back member be at least partially hollow, and accordingly such member preferably comprises front and rear panels I2 and I3 overlying opposite sides of the legs II as well as top and bottom horizontal slats lll and I5, together with one or more upright slats I5. The legs II and slats I4, l5 and I6 are of uniform thickness and the panels I2 and I3 are suitably secured thereto.

As is more clearly indicated in Figure 3, slats I5 and I t are spaced from the adjacent leg ll, thereby providing a pocket opening through the lower edge of the back member I0. The back member I0 and legs Il are supported in operative position by means of a rear leg I8 whose upper end is hingedly connected at I9 to a block 20 suitably secured to the rear panel I3, and a chain or other exible element 2| interconnects the leg i8 with the back member I0 to limit relative separation between the legs II and the leg I8, whereby the structure will remain in operative position.

A newspaper support 22 is hingedly connected as at 23 to a horizontal bar 24 extending along the lower edge of the front panel I2 and suitably secured thereto.

A suitable chain or other flexible element 25 is disposed atveach side of the support 22, and such chains have their rear ends suitably connected to the back member I0 and their front ends connected to eyes or the like 26 carried by the opposite side edges of the support. The chains 25 function to maintain the support 22 at a desired inclination and such chains may be of variable lengths to suit any inclination requirements. v

A combined paper weight and cover orlprotector includes a panel 2l whose rear edge is pivotally connected at 28 to the upper edge of the back member I0, and a second and preferably shorter panel 29 is hingedly connected at 30 to the front edge of the panel 21.

TheA panels 21 and 29 may be formed of anyr desired material, transparent or otherwise, and the remainder of the rack may be constructedof wood, metal, or any other desired materials.

As will be noted in Figures 1 and 2, the front panel 29 is shown resting on the corner of a stack -of newspapers P, whichY are outlined in 3 dotted lines, whereby the weight of panels 21, 29 maintains the papers in order under ordinary weather conditions. Furthermore, the panels protect the papers against damage from rain, snow, wind, etc., and if made of transparent material the name of the paper as well as the leading head-lines can be read through such panels.

If desired, the panels 2l, 2S may be folded, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2, in which position the forward hinged edges of the panels lie on the stack of papers rearwardly of their front edges, and thus are more effective during windy weather for holding the papers in position.

As is indicated in Figure 7, a more effective paper-retaining means is provided in the form of a relatively light coil spring 32 extending across the support 22, and which preferably has its opposite ends anchored by the chain-attaching eyes 26.

The spring 32 may be easily extended for introduction of a stack of papers between same and the support 22, and the spring will then act to eiectively hold the papers in position. The spring 32 may be used alone or in combination with the panels 2l, 29, the former functioning to retain the papers on the support and the latter functioning to protectthe papers against damage from rain, etc.

An essential feature of the present invention resides in a novel. coin-receiving, retaining and delivery means, which includes an elongated block 33 of a transverse dimension corresponding to that of the pocket l1, and which is freely slidably disposed therein, and which in eifect provides the bottom for pocket il. The front panel l2 is provided with a coin-slot 313, which is in communication with the upper end of the pocket, as is clearly indicated in Figure 3.

The block 33 is of generally rectangular formation, but the upper end thereof is slotted at 35 in the provision of opposed downwardly converging walls 3G, and the block adjacent the lower end of the slot 35 is downwardly and rearwardly beveled, as at 3l, the bevel extending downwardly from the front panel I2 to the rear panel I3.

The converging walls 3S, together with the beveled surface 31, function to direct coins which have been admitted to the pocket il through slot 34 to the bottom of the slot 35 and toward the rear panel i3. The block 33 normally projects below the lower edge of the back member Ill and is provided with a iirmly anchored staple 3S for projection through the slot 39 in the latch member lill hingedly connected at 4! to one of the legs il. The latch member is normally engaged with the staple and a padlock applied thereto for locking the block. 33 in position, whereby the coins cannot be removed from the pocket ll by an unauthorized person.

'When it is desired to remove the coins from the pocket, the padlock is removed and the latch member d@ swung away from the staple 38, as in Figure 3. The block 33 is then lowered in the palm of a hand and when the block reaches the position shown in dot and dash lines in Figure 3 and in full lines in Figures 5 and 6, the coins will fall through the slot 42 into the palm of the hand supporting the lower end of the block.

The rack is preferably provided with means for securing same against unauthorized removal from its newspaper sale position, and such means embodies a relatively long chain or other flexible element d3 having one end thereof attached to one side of the rack, as by means of an eye 44,

and the other end of the chain is provided with a plate 45 having a slot for receiving the staple 38, whereby both the latch 4U and plate 45 may be retained in position by a padlock engaged with the staple 38.

The chain 43 is adapted to be passed about a post, pole or tree closely adjacent the rack, and when the chain is locked las above described the rack is secured against unauthorized removal.

The improved rack is readily collapsible into minimum space-occupying position, as is indi- -cated in Figure 4, wherein the rear, leg i8 lies against the panel I3, and the supporti-.22 together with the panels 2l and 29 lie parallel with panel I2, and are of a combined thickness equal to that of the bar 24.

The racks are accordingly well adapted for transportation to and from the various points of newspaper sales, and by the novel constructions, as above described, the newspapers are protected gand retained in position and. the coins deposited by purchasers cannot be collected by unauthorized persons.

What claim. and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:

l. A rack of the class described, comprising a back member having supporting legs depending therefrom, a rear leg Ihingedly connected at its `upper end to the back member and operative to support the back member in a rearwardly inclined position, a newspaper support having one edge thereof hingedly connected to the back member adjacent the lower edge thereof and disposed in angular relation thereto, and an extendable and retractable paper cover including a ilrst panel having one edge thereof hingedly connected to the upper edge of the back member, and a second panel having one edge thereof hingedly connected to the other edge of the first panel, said cover serving as a rweather-protecting shield in its extended position and as a paper vretainer in its retracted position.

2. A rack. according to claim l, wherein a bar extends across the front face of the back membefr and to which the paper support is hingedly connected, the bar being of a width substantially equal to the combined thicknesses of the newspaper support and panels to facilitate collapsing olf the rack in compact form.

3. A rack of the class described, comprising a back member, a support member connected with the back member at its upper end and operative to retain the back member in a rearwardly inclined position, a newspaper support having one edge thereof connected to the back member adjacent the lower edge thereof, and a retractable and extendable paper-"etainin'g and protecting member comprising a first panel having one edge thereof movably connected with the back member, and a second panel having one edge thereof pivotally 'connected to the other edge of the i'lrst panel, said panels adapted to overlie papers on the support and protect same when in extended position and at least one of the panels engageable with the papers for retaining same in position on the support when the panels are in retracted position.

4. A rack of the class. described, comprising a back member adapted to be supported in a rearwardly inclined position, a paper-supporting plane shelf having one edge thereof connected to the back member adjacent the lower edge thereof and disposed in angular relation thereto, and an extendable and retractable cover including a rst panel having one edge .thereof connected REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Marshall Oct. 24, 1893 Brown Nov. 3, 1914 Clark May 2, 1916 Smith et al Jan. 31, 1922 Bargagni June 1, 1926 Feist May' 29, 1928 Bargagni Jan. 14, 1930 Kelly Mar. 31, 1931 Kideney Aug. 4, 1931 

